In a message dated 1/3/2003 7:11:10 AM Eastern Standard Time, jswan@optonline.net writes:
<< I'm pretty sure they were a private label used by Service Cycle, a Long Island company, that later came out with the Mongoose line. I am under the impression that Astra bikes were built by Motobecane. >>
Astra was a supplemental line by Motobecane, definitely French. The relationship to Motobecane was rather like Azuki was to Nishiki, limited to one or two models at the lower end of the price scale. All the Astras I sold and saw were lugless, "induction" brazed rather like many less expensive later Peugeots. (Does any one know of lugged versions?) Service Cycle may have been a distributor but not necessarily the only source.
Dale Brown
Greensboro, North Carolina